The Cost of Assumptions: Why Printing Companies Must Rebuild Their Internal Foundations

By Debbie Nicholson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-nicholson-24a53627/

Let's be honest.

Most printing companies didn't wake up one morning and decide to create confusing job descriptions, undocumented procedures, and employees who aren't entirely sure who is responsible for what.

It just happened. Kind of like that miscellaneous drawer in your kitchen. You know the one!

Many printing companies operate this same way. Over time, responsibilities get added, tasks get shifted, employees inherit duties from former employees, and before long nobody remembers how half the processes got started in the first place.

Yet somehow, every day, we keep printing. It's actually rather impressive.

Do Employees Know Their Job Today?

If you handed every employee their job description today, would they laugh? Many employees are doing jobs that look nothing like the description they were hired under.

What started as a Customer Service Representative somehow evolved into CSR, traffic coordinator, production expediter, shipping specialist, therapist, and more than occasionally -- a miracle worker.

Some employees have accumulated responsibilities for so many years they have become the organizational equivalent of a junk drawer.

Everybody keeps putting things in, but nobody has taken inventory lately.  Here are a few questions to ask during the update process.

• What tasks do you perform weekly that are not listed?
• What responsibilities have been added in the last year?
• What responsibilities should be removed?
• What tasks consume most of your time?
   

Reviews Are Not Raises

Somewhere along the way, many companies accidentally trained employees to believe that a review and a raise are the same conversation.

As a result, managers avoid reviews like they're avoiding a difficult customer phone call on a Friday afternoon.

The purpose of a review isn't to determine whether someone gets more money.  The purpose is to determine whether everyone is still on the same page.  (Obviously while looking at the up-to-date job description).

Reviews should answer questions like:

• Do employees understand their responsibilities?
• Are expectations clear?
• Have priorities changed?
• What support or training is needed?
• What obstacles are preventing success?
• Where do you see yourself within our company in 1-2 years?
   

When reviews become conversations about growth, communication, and performance, everyone wins.  Raises can be discussed separately.

NOTE:  You could say… “Before we get started, I want to put you at ease. This review is not about a raise, and it's not about disciplinary action. This conversation is about you—your role, your growth, and how we can work together to help you continue to succeed here.”

Cross-Training Builds Stronger Teams

One of my favorite signs of a healthy company culture is when employees willingly jump in to help another department.  Notice I said “willingly.”

Cross-training helps employees understand how their work impacts everyone else's.

When customer service understands production challenges and production understands customer expectations, the entire company operates more effectively.

It also reduces one of the most dangerous phrases in our business:   "That's not my job."

Because the truth is, serving the customer is everyone's job.

Building Teams That Want to Stay

Here's something I've learned after 35 years in this industry.  Most employees don’t wake up hoping to do a mediocre job.

• They want to contribute.
• They want to succeed.
• They want to know what's expected of them.
• They want leadership that is willing to invest in their growth.
• They need to know they make a difference.
• They want to be rewarded financially without having to ask!

Just so you know… The printing companies that will thrive in the years ahead won't necessarily be the ones with the newest equipment. It will be the ones who understand the Cost of Assumptions!